


Comforting Sea Hawk

by Fireagate



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post Season 5, Sea Bro, mostly just soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:14:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26924935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireagate/pseuds/Fireagate
Summary: In which Sea Hawk receives some bad news and Mermista comforts him.That's it, that's the plot.
Relationships: Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	Comforting Sea Hawk

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jicklet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jicklet/gifts).



> This is written for Jicklet, who requested “Mermista cheers up Sea Hawk" in exchange for some truly hilarious art depicting Sea Hawk and Mermista (and Swift Wind) in a boat in The Road to El Dorado. ("If it's any comfort, Sea Hawk, you made my life... an ~adventure~")
> 
> Set maybe five-six months after the final battle. Sea Hawk and Mermista have acknowledged their feelings and are dating but still a little awkward about ~feelings~, or at least Mermista is.

Mermista knocked on Sea Hawk’s door. “Heeey, are you, like, coming? We were supposed to leave for dinner five minutes ago.”

Silence.

 _That’s weird_ , thought Mermista, frowning. Sea Hawk _never_ missed their dates. Usually they met in the castle foyer before leaving, since both of them loved a dramatic entrance and it was harder to arrange that when you lived in the same building. The foyer had not one but two grand staircases, making it the perfect location for outfit showing off/admiration (subtle on her part; very overt on his, much to her blushes) before heading out for a night on the town.

It was usually a toss up between Sea Hawk being very early because he was so eager to go out and only a little early because he had a serenade or other over-the-top gesture to get ready. _Late_ was unheard of.

“Sea Hawk?” She pressed her ear to the door. Was that sound a muffled sob? She twisted the handle experimentally. Not locked. “I’m coming in.” If he wasn’t in there and later complained about her being in his room – which he wouldn’t, the man would let her get away with murder and help hide the bodies after – she’d simply point out she owned the castle.

Sea Hawk was slouched in a chair, still wearing his casual outfit and staring at nothing with watery eyes. A letter lay crumpled on the floor.

 _Oh no_.

She was by his side in an instant. “Sea Hawk? Sea Hawk, what’s wrong?”

“Mermista…?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” she said, kneeling by the chair and stroking his hair as she inventoried her despondent boyfriend to determine if she was actually going to have to murder somebody. “What happened?”

“Bill died.”

“Bill….?” Had Sea Hawk ever mentioned a Bill? She couldn’t recall.

“My friend.” The tears overflowed. She patted his back while mentally rejiggering the evening. No murders – for now – but dinner was definitely postponed.

“Sea Hawk? I need to tell Aquario to cancel the reservations, then why don’t you tell me all about Bill?” He sniffled and nodded as she stood up.

A quick call to her butler (he’d been happy to give up the guard position once other servants started returning to the palace) and Mermista’s schedule was clear for the next two days. Now all she had to do was comfort the man who meant everything to her – and she had no idea how to do that.

 _Sea Hawk_ was the one who would know what to do. He _always_ knew what to do when someone was sad. He’d helped her get through the pain of losing Salineas, and he’d comforted her night after night during nightmares of being under Horde Prime’s control. He’d come closer to bridging the rift in the Princess Alliance than anyone else, even if it had been with a plan that nearly got him kill-

 _Oh._ Bill. She remembered now. That was the friend who’d been meant to “kidnap” the boys but never showed, wasn’t it? She still wasn’t quite clear what had happened there, and now was probably not the time to ask.

 _What would Sea Hawk do in this situation?_ No, no good, she wasn’t going to sing shanties unless things got really dire. But then again… she looked at the chair, boyfriend still sniffling miserably.

 _Just do_ something _._

She walked over, patted his head again, then picked up him so she could take his place in the chair and settled him unresisting across her lap, wrapping her arms around him.

“Hey. I’m here.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m not doing anything tonight, so we can do whatever you want. Stay like this if you want.” To her surprise, he responded by breaking free from her light grip so he could throw his own arms around her and hold her so tight she could hardly breathe, burying his face in her chest. They stayed like that for long minutes, his tears soaking into her top.

 _Should I get him to talk?_ _It would help to talk about it, right?_

“Sea Hawk?” She patted his back. “Do you want to tell me about Bill?”

He sniffled loudly into her shirt before turning his head. Good thing the castle dry cleaning was back up and running. “Yes. Yes, someone should tell of Bill.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“Bill was my – we were shipmates on the _Mermaid’s Cousin II_.” Mermista didn’t bother to ask what had happened to the _Mermaid’s Cousin I_. “This was before I met you.” Over six years ago, then. Sea Hawk couldn’t have been more than 20.

“We had many grand adventures.” His voice was picking up steam now, and the word “adventure” almost had his usual flair. “We ran the Galebreath Gauntlet together. Hunted tyrosaurs and competed to see who could bag the biggest catch. He ran the betting pool for my arm wrestling tournaments. He was there when…” His breath hitched. “When I got my first boat and became a true captain, he celebrated with me all night.”

“Sounds like he was a very good friend.”

“He was. Was…” Sea Hawk’s eyes flooded again. “I haven’t seen him in two years. After I joined the rebellion, we…” He turned his face back into her chest. Mermista tightened her hold.

“It’s okay, Sea Hawk. My shirt’s a mess already anyway.”

“Your shirt…?” Momentarily jolted out of his grief, Sea Hawk surveyed the damage his eyes and nose had wrought. “Oh, Mermista, I’m sorry! I’ll-”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I didn’t even like this shirt anyway,” she lied, ignoring the half hour she’d spent putting this outfit together. “I’m really sorry about Bill.”

“He was my last connection,” Sea Hawk sniffled. “Everyone I know from back then is dead or I burned their boat or they disappeared somewhere over the horizon or…”

“Hey. Hey. You’ve still got me. You’ve got the Alliance. You’ve got those weird fans at the karaoke bar I haven’t scared off yet.” He smiled weakly at that.

“And he’s not your last connection. Someone sent you the letter, right?”

Sea Hawk actually laughed a little. “The letter informing me is from Sea Bro.”

“ _Oh_.”

Sea Bro was Sea Hawk’s older brother. He spent most of his time on the other side of the ocean doing who-knows-what. Mermista had only met him a couple of times, and Sea Bro had made it clear each time that he was not sold on his beloved little brother’s idea of romance. Mermista had pointed out that at least she wasn’t 2,000 miles away when Sea Hawk needed her and things had deteriorated from there.

“Sea Bro knew Bill?” she asked.

“I tell him about all my friends,” he said, tearing up again.

Supreme sacrifices were called for here. “When you write to him tomorrow, tell him to come visit.”

“R-really?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “But tell him to bring a couple friends so we don’t have to, like, _entertain_ him the whole time.”

“That would be nice.” Another watery smile. Excellent.

“Tonight…” Mermista made a show of yawning as best she could with her arms full of sad boyfriend. “I’m pretty tired. Come read with me on my couch and we’ll get Aquario to bring us pizza?”

“Can I read _Specter of the Sea Serpent_?”

“I _just_ started tha—yeah, okay. I wanted to re-read _The Pearl Who Knew Too Much_ anyway.”

Sea Hawk brushed his lips against hers. “Thank you, Mermista.”

“Whatever. It’s not because I like you or anything.”

“I know.” He hugged her, tight but not with the desperate urgency of earlier. A small but cocky grin. “You love me.”

“Tell that to Sea Bro when he gets here.”

He gave her another quick kiss. “I will.”

“Make him _believe_ you this time.”

“I think the problem is he believes me too well, dearest.” Was that a _twinkle_ in his eye? Maybe this would be worth it.

He stood up off her lap and gallantly extended a hand. “May I escort you next door, Mermista?”

“Ugh, if you must.” But she smiled and took his hand. Yeah, even Sea Bro was going to be worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Omg I did not anticipate how HARD it would be to hurt Sea Hawk. And I didn't even hurt him directly! I'm with Mermista on this one, anything worse and murders may be called for.
> 
> Sea Bro is a silly invention of mine. You can read about him and his competition with Mermista for Sea Hawk's affections here: https://fortunes-haven.tumblr.com/post/630019326894866432
> 
> Jicklet's Road to El Dorado art can be found here: https://partytimesloth.tumblr.com/post/630737764924751872/
> 
> All of my comfort fics are basically "and then they hugged each other for quite a while." It's repetitive, but I can't help it! They're so touchy-feely and I just think long hugs are the way to go when someone is sad and you want to remind them you're there for them. Like, literally there. Sitting on their lap there. It's comforting, all right?
> 
> Were Sea Hawk and Bill intimate? How did they celebrate Sea Hawk getting that captaincy? That's up to you to decide!
> 
> Were Sea Hawk and Mermista intimate? Possibly directly after they finished their pizza and books? Heck yes, but I'm not writing that here. XD
> 
> Does Mermista end up regretting saying Sea Hawk could invite Sea Bro for a visit? Almost... but not ~quite~.


End file.
